2009–10 S.L. Benfica season

Benfica

2009–10 season
President	Luís Filipe Vieira
Manager	Jorge Jesus
Stadium	Estádio da Luz
Primeira Liga	1st
Taça de Portugal	Fourth round
Taça da Liga	Winners
UEFA Europa League	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Óscar Cardozo (26) All: Óscar Cardozo (38)
Highest home attendance	64,103 v Rio Ave[1] (9 May 2010)
Lowest home attendance	20,000 v Vitória de Guimarães (22 November 2009)
Average home league attendance	50,033[2][3]
Biggest win	Benfica 8–1 Vitória de Setúbal (31 August 2009)
Biggest defeat	Liverpool 4–1 Benfica (8 April 2010)
Home colours Away colours
← 2008–09 2010–11 →

The 2009–10 European football season was the 106th season of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's existence and the club's 76th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. The season ran from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010; Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga. The club also participated in the UEFA Europa League after qualifying from the competition's play-off round, which they had to play as a result of finishing third in the previous season.

On 16 June 2009, Jesus replaced Quique Sánchez Flores at the helm of Benfica. Jesus implemented a 4–1–3–2 formation, in which a winger, Ramires, provided cover and assistance to the defensive midfielder, Javi García, and other winger, Ángel Di María, conducted the counterattacks. Pablo Aimar, as an attacking midfielder, distributed play and Javier Saviola created space between lines for Óscar Cardozo, Aimar and Di María.^[4][5]

This fast-paced, attractive football^[6] proved to be successful and in his first year Jesus led Benfica to the first division title after a five-year wait (only two league defeats, 78 goals scored), also reaching the quarter-finals in the Europa League, losing to Liverpool on a 3–5 aggregate score (this would be the last match Benfica would lose in a run that lasted 27 games).

Benfica won their 32nd Primeira Liga and their second League Cup. They saw the definite breakthroughs of Ángel Di María, David Luiz and Fábio Coentrão, while Óscar Cardozo had his best season yet, scoring 26 league goals. The team's only disappointments of the season were a 4–1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the Europa League quarter-finals second leg, where Fernando Torres hit two second-half goals to knock Benfica out of Europe, and an early exit at the Taça de Portugal.

Season summary

After a disappointing season in which Benfica failed to qualify for the Champions League, the club appointed Jorge Jesus as head coach.^[7] To strengthen the squad, Benfica signed Javi García^[8] and Javier Saviola^[9] from Real Madrid, Ramires from Cruzeiro,^[10] and César Peixoto from Braga.^[11] Fábio Coentrão also returned from loan, while Kostas Katsouranis,^[12] Reyes, and David Suazo left the club.

The pre-season began with a 2–2 draw against Sion in Switzerland, followed by victories over Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, and Olhanense, a defeat to Atlético Madrid, four consecutive wins against Sunderland, Ajax, Portsmouth and Vitória de Guimarães, and a 1–1 draw with Milan in the Eusébio Cup.

The official season opened on 16 August with a 1–1 home draw against Marítimo, followed by a 1–0 away victory over Vitória de Guimarães and an 8–1 home win against Vitória de Setúbal.^[13] Later that month, Benfica defeated Vorskla Poltava 5–2 on aggregate in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League play-off round.^[14][15]

In September Benfica won all four of its matches: 4–0 away at Belenenses, 2–1 away at Leiria, 5–0 at home against Leixões, and 2–0 at home against BATE Borisov in their opening Europa League group stage match. October began with a 1–0 away loss to AEK Athens, but the team responded with victories over Paços de Ferreira, Monsanto in the Taça de Portugal, and a 5–0 home win against Everton in the Europa League.^[16] The month ended with a 2–0 away defeat to Braga, leaving Benfica three points behind them in the league table.^[17]

Benfica began November with a 2–0 away win over Everton in the Europa League,^[18] followed by a league victory against Naval 1º de Maio. The team was then eliminated at home by Vitória de Guimarães in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal.^[19] The month concluded with a 0–0 draw against Sporting at the Estádio José Alvalade.^[20] In December, Benfica defeated BATE Borisov and Académica, drew 2–2 away with Olhanense, and won 2–1 against AEK Athens before hosting Porto. In a tightly contested match, a 23rd-minute goal from Javier Saviola secured a 1–0 victory, allowing Benfica to end the year level on points with Braga.^[21]

The new year began with a 1–0 win over Nacional in the Taça da Liga, followed by league victories against Rio Ave away, Marítimo away, and Vitória de Guimarães at home. A draw against Guimarães and a win over Rio Ave in the Taça da Liga ensured Benfica advanced to the semi-finals, finishing January as joint league leaders.

In February, Benfica recorded league wins over Leiria, Belenenses and Leixões, drew away to Vitória de Setúbal, eliminated Sporting with a 4–1 away victory in the Taça da Liga semi-finals,^[22] and defeated Hertha BSC 5–1 on aggregate in the Europa League round of 32.^[23] March began with league wins over Paços de Ferreira and Nacional, followed by three decisive fixtures. Benfica eliminated Marseille 3–2 on aggregate in the Europa League round of 16,^[24] after a 1–1 home draw and a 2–1 away win secured in extra time. The team then defeated Porto 3–0 in the Taça da Liga final at the Estádio Algarve,^[25] before hosting Braga in a decisive league match at the Estádio da Luz, which Benfica won 1–0.^[26] The month ended with Benfica advancing in the Europa League, winning the Taça da Liga, and extending their lead at the top of the league to six points.

April began with a UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie against Liverpool, where Benfica won the first leg 2–1 at home but lost 4–1 at Anfield, resulting in elimination from the competition.^[27] The team then secured league victories over Naval 1º de Maio, Sporting, Académica and Olhanense, moving closer to the league title. On 2 May, Benfica visited Estádio do Dragão to face Porto, knowing that a win would secure the championship. However, the match ended in a 3–1 defeat,^[28] delaying their celebrations. One week later, Benfica clinched their 32nd league title with a victory over Rio Ave.^[29]

Competitions

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Pre-season friendlies

Sion v Benfica

12 July 2009 Friendly	Sion	2–2	Benfica	Sion, Switzerland
17:30 CET (UTC+01)	Die 65' Dabo 77'	Report	Cardozo 25' Saviola 35' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade Tourbillon Attendance: 12,450

Benfica v Shakhtar Donetsk

13 July 2009 Friendly	Benfica	2–0	Shakhtar Donetsk	Geneva, Switzerland
18:30 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo 8' Martins 25'	Report		Stadium: Charmilles Stadium

Benfica v Athletic Bilbao

16 July 2009 Guadiana Trophy	Benfica	2–1	Athletic Bilbao	Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01)	Saviola 48', 66'	Report	Toquero 17'	Stadium: Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo Attendance: 3,568 Referee: Eugénio Ârez

Benfica v Olhanense

18 July 2009 Guadiana Trophy	Benfica	2–1	Olhanense	Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo 64' Vítor 90'	Report	Ukra 62' (pen.)	Stadium: Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo

Benfica v Atlético Madrid

21 July 2009 Friendly	Benfica	1–2	Atlético Madrid	Lisbon, Portugal
19:00 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo 20'	Report	García 11' Forlán 45' (pen.)	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 57,462

Sunderland v Benfica

24 July 2009 Amsterdam Tournament	Sunderland	0–2	Benfica	Amsterdam, Netherlands
18:00 CET (UTC+01)		Report	Cardozo 32' (pen.) Pereira 55'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Referee: Reinold Wiedemeijer

Ajax v Benfica

26 July 2009 Amsterdam Tournament	Ajax	2–3	Benfica	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Donald 44' Rommedahl 77'	Report	Aissati 8' (o.g.) Di María 31' David Luiz 55'	Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA Referee: Pieter Vink

Benfica v Portsmouth

1 August 2009 Guimarães Trophy	Benfica	4–0	Portsmouth	Guimarães, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo 15', 38' Weldon 69' Wilkinson 85' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques

Vitória de Guimarães v Benfica

2 August 2009 Guimarães Trophy	Vitória de Guimarães	0–2	Benfica	Guimarães, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01)		Report	Weldon 39' Amorim 65'	Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Referee: Jorge Sousa

Benfica v Milan

8 August 2009 Eusébio Cup	Benfica	1–1 (5–4 p)	Milan	Lisbon, Portugal
19:00 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo 58'	Report	Sidnei 87' (o.g.)	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 62,342 Referee: João Ferreira
	Penalties
	Keirrison Shaffer Coentrão Amorim Weldon Yebda Patric Sidnei		Pirlo Ronaldinho Jankulovski Silva Borriello Pato Zambrotta Antonini

Regular season friendlies

Benfica v Celtic

3 September 2009 CNE Cup	Benfica	3–1	Celtic	Toronto, Canada
00:30 CET (UTC+01)	Keirrison 3' Pinto 58' Saviola 72'	Report	McGowan 45+1'	Stadium: BMO Field Referee: Silviu Petresco

Santa Clara v Benfica

13 November 2009 Pedro Pauleta Trophy	Santa Clara	1–1 (3–5 p)	Benfica	Azores, Portugal
22:15 CET (UTC+01)	Leandro Tatu 51'	Report	Keirrison 35'	Stadium: Estádio de São Miguel Referee: Jacinto Paixão
	Penalties
	Netto Lico Danilo Silva Renan		Menezes Ribeiro Sidnei Shaffer Jean

New England Revolution v Benfica

20 May 2010 Friendly	New England Revolution	0–4	Benfica	Foxborough, United States
01:00 CET (UTC+01)		Report	Menezes 15' Sidnei 17' Peixoto 32' Kardec 53'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 12,735 Referee: Hilario Grajeda

Benfica v Panathinaikos

23 May 2010 Friendly	Benfica	0–0	Panathinaikos	Toronto, Canada
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	David Luiz	Report		Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 8,000

Primeira Liga

Main article: 2009–10 Primeira Liga

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Benfica (C)	30	24	4	2	78	20	+58	76	Qualification to Champions League group stage
2	Braga	30	22	5	3	48	20	+28	71	Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round
3	Porto	30	21	5	4	70	26	+44	68	Qualification to Europa League play-off round[a]
4	Sporting CP	30	13	9	8	42	26	+16	48	Qualification to Europa League third qualifying round
5	Marítimo	30	11	8	11	42	43	−1	41[b]	Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round

Source: LPFP
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. Porto qualified for the play-off round of 2010–11 UEFA Europa League after winning the 2009–10 Taça de Portugal.
2. Marítimo ahead of Vitória de Guimarães on head-to-head record; Vitória de Guimarães–Marítimo 1–2, Marítimo–Vitória de Guimarães 0–1.

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Ground	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	L	W
Position	5	5	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Source: ForaDeJogo.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Benfica v Marítimo

16 August 2009 1	Benfica	1–1	Marítimo	Lisbon
20:15	Weldon 86'	Report	Alonso 24' (pen.)	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 54,103 Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Porto)

Vitória Guimarães v Benfica

23 August 2009 2	Vitória Guimarães	0–1	Benfica	Guimarães
18:00		Report	Ramires 90'	Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Attendance: 27,310 Referee: Pedro Proença (Lisbon)

Benfica v Vitória de Setúbal

31 August 2009 3	Benfica	8–1	Vitória de Setúbal	Lisbon
20:15	García 13' Luisão 20' Cardozo 29' (pen.), 65', 75' Aimar 35' Ramires 37' Nuno Gomes 85'	Report	Barbosa 90+2'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 40,915 Referee: Duarte Gomes (Lisbon)

Belenenses v Benfica

13 September 2009 4	Belenenses	0–4	Benfica	Lisbon
18:00		Report	Saviola 9' Cardozo 57' García 76' Ramires 87'	Stadium: Estádio do Restelo Attendance: 17,473 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Leiria)

União de Leiria v Benfica

20 September 2009 5	União de Leiria	1–2	Benfica	Leiria
20:15	David Luiz 18' (o.g.)	Report	Saviola 4' Cardozo 78' (pen.)	Stadium: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Attendance: 22,676 Referee: Jorge Sousa (Porto)

Benfica v Leixões

26 September 2009 6	Benfica	5–0	Leixões	Lisbon
21:15	David Luiz 45+3' Cardozo 55' (pen.), 88' Ramires 74' Pereira 81'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 43,283 Referee: João Capela (Lisbon)

Paços de Ferreira v Benfica

5 October 2009 7	Paços de Ferreira	1–3	Benfica	Paços de Ferreira
20:15	Maykon 68'	Report	David Luiz 3' Martins 21' Cardozo 40'	Stadium: Estádio da Mata Real Attendance: 4,865 Referee: João Ferreira (Setúbal)

Benfica v Nacional

26 October 2009 8	Benfica	6–1	Nacional	Lisbon
20:15	Cardozo 16', 48' (pen.), 90+1' (pen.) Saviola 39', 63' Nuno Gomes 85'	Report	Edgar Costa 26'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 47,011 Referee: Vasco Santos (Porto)

Braga v Benfica

31 October 2009 9	Braga	2–0	Benfica	Braga
21:15	Viana 6' Paulo César 77'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Braga Attendance: 24,181 Referee: Jorge Sousa (Porto)

Benfica v Naval

9 November 2009 10	Benfica	1–0	Naval	Lisbon
20:15	García 89'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 41,981 Referee: Lucílio Baptista (Lisbon)

Sporting CP v Benfica

28 November 2009 11	Sporting CP	0–0	Benfica	Lisbon
21:15		Report		Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Attendance: 45,880 Referee: Pedro Proença (Lisbon)

Benfica v Académica

6 December 2009 12	Benfica	4–0	Académica	Lisbon
20:15	Cardozo 5', 55', 68' Saviola 31'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 41,206 Referee: Cosme Machado (Braga)

Olhanense v Benfica

12 December 2009 13	Olhanense	2–2	Benfica	Olhão
21:15	Fernandes 9' Toy 32'	Report	Saviola 28' Nuno Gomes 90+2'	Stadium: Estádio José Arcanjo Attendance: 8,206 Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Porto)

Benfica v Porto

20 December 2009 14	Benfica	1–0	Porto	Lisbon
20:15	Saviola 22'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 58,659 Referee: Lucílio Baptista (Lisbon)

Rio Ave v Benfica

9 January 2010 15	Rio Ave	0–1	Benfica	Vila do Conde
21:15		Report	Saviola 47'	Stadium: Estádio do Rio Ave FC Attendance: 7,060 Referee: Bruno Paixão (Setúbal)

Marítimo v Benfica

17 January 2010 16	Marítimo	0–5	Benfica	Funchal
20:15		Report	Saviola 28' Pereira 34' Cardozo 49' (pen.) Roberto 50' (o.g.) Luisão 69'	Stadium: Estádio dos Barreiros Attendance: 5,000 Referee: João Ferreira (Setúbal)

Benfica v Vitória de Guimarães

30 January 2010 17	Benfica	3–1	Vitória de Guimarães	Lisbon
19:15	Aimar 16' Martins 50', 59'	Report	Assis 31'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 52,616 Referee: Elmano Santos (Madeira) (Madeira)

Vitória Setúbal v Benfica

6 February 2010 18	Vitória Setúbal	1–1	Benfica	Setúbal
21:15	David Luiz 37' (o.g.)	Report	Silva 14' (o.g.)	Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim Attendance: 9,640 Referee: Jorge Sousa (Porto)

Benfica v Belenenses

13 February 2010 19	Benfica	1–0	Belenenses	Lisbon
17:00	Cardozo 10'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 45,329 Referee: Carlos Xistra (Castelo Branco)

Benfica v União de Leiria

3 February 2010 20	Benfica	3–0	União de Leiria	Lisbon
21:00	Cardozo 9' Saviola 60' Amorim 89'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 33,179 Referee: Marco Ferreira (Madeira)

Leixões v Benfica

27 February 2010 21	Leixões	0–4	Benfica	Leixões
21:15		Report	Éder Luís 26' Di María 69', 76', 86'	Stadium: Estádio do Mar Attendance: 6,474 Referee: Lucílio Baptista (Lisbon)

Benfica v Paços de Ferreira

7 March 2010 22	Benfica	3–1	Paços de Ferreira	Lisbon
20:15	Amorim 13' Saviola 17' Cardozo 58'	Report	William 43'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 42,971 Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Porto)

Nacional v Benfica

14 March 2010 23	Nacional	0–1	Benfica	Funchal
18:00		Report	Cardozo 58'	Stadium: Estádio da Madeira Attendance: 4,646 Referee: Paulo Baptista (Portalegre)

Benfica v Braga

27 March 2010 24	Benfica	1–0	Braga	Lisbon
20:15	Luisão 45+1'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 63,679 Referee: Pedro Proença (Lisbon)

Naval v Benfica

5 April 2010 25	Naval	2–4	Benfica	Figueira da Foz
21:00	Fábio Junior 2' Bolívia 11'	Report	Weldon 15', 18' Di María 37' Cardozo 55'	Stadium: Estádio Municipal José Bento Pessoa Attendance: 7,491 Referee: Elmano Santos (Madeira) (Madeira)

Benfica v Sporting CP

13 April 2010 26	Benfica	2–0	Sporting CP	Lisbon
20:45	Cardozo 62' Aimar 77'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 59,317 Referee: João Ferreira (Setúbal)

Académica v Benfica

18 April 2010 27	Académica	2–3	Benfica	Coimbra
18:00	Gomes 28' Tiero 88'	Report	Weldon 2', 41' Amorim 81'	Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Attendance: 21,742 Referee: Carlos Xistra (Castelo Branco)

Benfica v Olhanense

24 April 2010 28	Benfica	5–0	Olhanense	Lisbon
21:15	Cardozo 3' (pen.), 54', 56' Di María 18' Aimar 78'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 62,147 Referee: Lucílio Baptista (Lisbon)

Porto v Benfica

2 May 2010 29	Porto	3–1	Benfica	Porto
20:15	Alves 42' Farías 59' Belluschi 82'	Report	Luisão 56'	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 44,902 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Leiria)

Benfica v Rio Ave

9 May 2010 30	Benfica	2–1	Rio Ave	Lisbon
18:00	Cardozo 3', 79'	Report	Chaves 72'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 64,103 Referee: Jorge Sousa (Porto)

Taça de Portugal

Main article: 2009–10 Taça de Portugal

GDR Monsanto v Benfica

18 October 2009 Third round	GDR Monsanto	0–6	Benfica	Torres Novas
18:15 CET		Report	Menezes 29' Martins 47', 59' Saviola 84' Peixoto 89' Coentrão 90+1'	Stadium: Estádio Municipal Dr. Alves Vieira Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Paulo Costa (Porto)

Benfica v Vitória de Guimarães

22 November 2009 Fourth round	Benfica	0–1	Vitória de Guimarães	Lisbon
19:45 CET		Report	Gustavo Lazzaretti 25'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Elmano Santos (Madeira)

Taça da Liga

Main article: 2009–10 Taça da Liga

Group stage

Benfica v Nacional

3 January 2010 1	Benfica	1–0	Nacional	Lisbon
19:15	Saviola 78'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 17,684 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Leiria) (Leiria)

Vitória de Guimarães v Benfica

13 January 2010 2	Vitória de Guimarães	1–1	Benfica	Guimarães
20:15	Douglas 56'	Report	Coentrão 75'	Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Attendance: 4,318 Referee: Carlos Xistra (Castelo Branco)

Rio Ave v Benfica

23 January 2010 3	Rio Ave	1–2	Benfica	Vila do Conde
20:15	Gama 53' (pen.)	Report	Di María 49' Martins 76'	Stadium: Estádio do Rio Ave FC Attendance: 7,555 Referee: Cosme Machado (Braga)

Semi-finals

Sporting CP v Benfica

9 February 2010	Sporting CP	1–4	Benfica	Lisbon
20:15	Liédson 36'	Report	David Luiz 7' Ramires 29' Luisão 67' Cardozo 90+4'	Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Leiria)

Final

Main article: 2010 Taça da Liga final

Benfica v Porto

21 March 2010	Benfica	3–0	Porto	Faro
19:15	Amorim 10' Martins 44' Cardozo 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Algarve Attendance: 23,430 Referee: Jorge Sousa (Porto)

UEFA Europa League

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Europa League

Play-off round

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round § Play-off round

Benfica v Vorskla Poltava

20 August 2009 First leg	Benfica	4–0	Vorskla Poltava	Lisbon, Portugal
20:45 CEST	Di María 31' Cardozo 55' (pen.) Saviola 57' Weldon 77'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 34,177 Referee: Darko Čeferin (Slovenia)

Vorskla Poltava v Benfica

27 August 2009 Second leg	Vorskla Poltava	2–1 (2–5 agg.)	Benfica	Poltava, Ukraine
20:45 CEST	Sachko 48' Yesin 74'	Report	Saviola 59'	Stadium: Butovsky Vorskla Stadium Attendance: 22,000[30] Referee: Claudio Circhetta (Switzerland)

Group stage

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Europa League group stage § Group I

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Benfica	6	5	0	1	13	3	+10	15	Advance to knockout phase
2	Everton	6	3	0	3	7	9	−2	9
3	BATE Borisov	6	2	1	3	7	9	−2	7
4	AEK Athens	6	1	1	4	5	11	−6	4

Source: Soccerway

Benfica v BATE Borisov

17 September 2009 1	Benfica	2–0	BATE Borisov	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05 CEST	Nuno Gomes 36' Cardozo 41'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 34,953 Referee: Knut Kircher (Germany)

AEK Athens v Benfica

1 October 2009 2	AEK Athens	1–0	Benfica	Athens, Greece
19:00 CEST	Majstorović 43'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 12,420 Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden)

Benfica v Everton

22 October 2009 3	Benfica	5–0	Everton	Lisbon, Portugal
19:00 CEST	Saviola 14', 83' Cardozo 47', 48' Luisão 52'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 44,534 Referee: Nikolay Ivanov (Russia)

Everton v Benfica

5 November 2009 4	Everton	0–2	Benfica	Liverpool, England
21:05 CET		Report	Saviola 63' Cardozo 76'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 30,790 Referee: Saïd Ennjimi (France)

BATE Borisov v Benfica

2 December 2009 5	BATE Borisov	1–2	Benfica	Minsk, Belarus
19:00 CET	Vítor 69' (o.g.)	Report	Saviola 46' Coentrão 63'	Stadium: Dinamo Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Thomas Einwaller (Austria)

Benfica v AEK Athens

17 December 2009 6	Benfica	2–1	AEK Athens	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05 CET	Di María 45', 73'	Report	Blanco 84'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)

Knockout phase

Main article: 2009–10 UEFA Europa League knockout phase

Round of 32

Hertha BSC v Benfica

18 February 2010 First leg	Hertha BSC	1–1	Benfica	Berlin, Germany
21:05	García 33' (o.g.)	Report	Di María 4'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 13,684 Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

Benfica v Hertha BSC

23 February 2010 Second leg	Benfica	4–0 (5–1 agg.)	Hertha BSC	Lisbon, Portugal
18:00	Aimar 25' Cardozo 48', 62' García 59'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 30,402 Referee: Pieter Vink (Netherlands)

Round of 16

Benfica v Marseille

11 March 2010 First leg	Benfica	1–1	Marseille	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05	Pereira 76'	Report	Ben Arfa 90'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 46,635 Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Marseille v Benfica

18 March 2010 Second leg	Marseille	1–2 (2–3 agg.)	Benfica	Marseille, France
19:00	Niang 70'	Report	Pereira 75' Kardec 90+1'	Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

Quarter-finals

Benfica v Liverpool

1 April 2010 First leg	Benfica	2–1	Liverpool	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05	Cardozo 59' (pen.), 79' (pen.)	Report	Agger 9'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 62,629 Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)

Liverpool v Benfica

8 April 2010 Second leg	Liverpool	4–1 (5–3 agg.)	Benfica	Liverpool, England
21:05	Kuyt 27' Lucas 34' Torres 59', 82'	Report	Cardozo 70'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,377 Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Overall record

Competition	First match	Last match	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Source
Primeira Liga	16 August 2009	9 May 2010	30	24	4	2	78	20	+58	080.00
Taça de Portugal	17 October 2009	22 November 2009	2	1	0	1	6	1	+5	050.00
Taça da Liga	3 January 2010	21 March 2010	5	4	1	0	11	3	+8	080.00
UEFA Europa League	20 August 2009	8 April 2010	14	9	2	3	29	13	+16	064.29
Total[31]			51	38	7	6	124	37	+87	074.51

Player statistics

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Primeira Liga		Portuguese Cup		League Cup		Europa League
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	POR	José Moreira	5	-5	0	0	2	-1	1	-1	2	-3
12	GK	POR	Quim	33	-20	30	-20	0	0	2	0	1	0
13	GK	BRA	Júlio César	14	-12	0	0	0	0	2	-2	12	-10
31	GK	BRA	Moretto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
14	DF	URU	Maxi Pereira	37	4	25	2	0	0	4	0	8	2
22	DF	POR	Luís Filipe	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
4	DF	BRA	Luisão	45	6	28	4	0	0	5	1	12	1
23	DF	BRA	David Luiz	49	3	29	2	2	0	5	1	13	0
27	DF	BRA	Sidnei	10	0	5	0	2	0	0	0	3	0
28	DF	POR	Miguel Vítor	7	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
15	DF	POR	Roderick Miranda	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
18	DF	POR	Fábio Coentrão	45	3	26	0	2	1	4	1	13	1
25	DF	POR	César Peixoto	29	1	15	0	1	1	3	0	10	0
3	DF	ARG	José Shaffer	6	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
35	DF	POR	Jorge Ribeiro	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
6	MF	ESP	Javi García	46	4	26	3	2	0	4	0	14	1
2	DF	BRA	Airton	6	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
5	MF	POR	Ruben Amorim	38	4	24	3	2	0	2	1	10	0
8	MF	BRA	Ramires	43	5	26	4	1	0	4	1	12	0
10	MF	ARG	Pablo Aimar	41	5	25	4	1	0	4	0	11	1
24	MF	BRA	Felipe Menezes	8	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	3	1
17	MF	POR	Carlos Martins	8	0	6	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
20	MF	ARG	Ángel Di María	45	10	26	5	1	0	4	1	14	4
16	MF	URU	Urreta	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Strikers
7	FW	PAR	Óscar Cardozo	47	38	29	26	0	0	5	2	13	10
30	FW	ARG	Javier Saviola	44	19	27	11	2	1	4	1	11	6
19	FW	BRA	Weldon	18	6	12	5	1	0	2	0	3	1
21	FW	POR	Nuno Gomes	23	4	13	3	2	0	2	0	6	1
11	FW	BRA	Keirrison	7	0	5	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
31	FW	BRA	Alan Kardec	13	1	8	0	0	0	3	0	2	1
32	FW	BRA	Éder Luís	10	1	6	1	0	0	1	0	3	0
9	FW	ANG	Mantorras	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0

^[32]

Transfers

In

Summer

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	Moving From	Type of Transfer	Contract Ends	Transfer fee	Notes	Source
6	MF	Javi García	22	Real Madrid	Transfer	2014	€7M	N/A
8	MF	Ramires	22	Cruzeiro	Transfer	2014	€7.5M	N/A
30	FW	Javier Saviola	27	Real Madrid	Transfer	2012	€5M	N/A
2	DF	Patric	20	São Caetano	Transfer	2013	€1.9M	N/A
3	DF	José Shaffer	23	Racing Club	Transfer	2013	€1.7M	N/A
13	GK	Júlio César	22	Belenenses	Transfer	2014	€0.5M	N/A
25	DF	César Peixoto	29	Braga	Transfer	2012	€0.4M	N/A
24	MF	Felipe Menezes	21	Goiás	Transfer	2014	€1.1M	N/A
19	FW	Weldon	28	Recife	Transfer	2011	€0.2M	N/A
11	FW	Keirrison	20	Barcelona	Loan	2010	Undisclosed	N/A
22	DF	Luís Filipe	29	Vitória de Guimarães	Loan return	2011	Free	N/A
18	FW	Fábio Coentrão	20	Rio Ave	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	DF	Leandro Silva	20	Coritiba	Transfer	2015	Free	N/A
#	FW	Ivan Santos	20	Boavista	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	FW	Yu Dabao	21	Olivais e Moscavide	Loan return	2009	Free	N/A
#	DF	Ruben Lima	19	Desportivo das Aves	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	MF	Miguel Rosa	20	Estoril	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	DF	László Sepsi	23	Racing Santander	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	DF	Edcarlos	24	Fluminense	Loan return	2013	Free	N/A
#	FW	Ariza Makukula	28	Bolton Wanderers	Loan return	2013	Free	N/A
#	MF	Andrés Díaz	25	Banfield	Loan return	2011	Free	N/A
#	DF	Marco Zoro	25	Vitória de Setúbal	Loan return	2011	Free	N/A
#	DF	Rafik Halliche	22	Nacional	Loan return	2013	Free	N/A
#	FW	Marcel	27	Vissel Kobe	Loan Return	2012	Free	N/A
#	FW	André Carvalhas	20	Olhanense	Loan return	2012	Free	N/A
#	MF	Romeu Ribeiro	20	Desportivo das Aves	Loan return	2011	Free	N/A
#	FW	Freddy Adu	20	Monaco	Loan return	2013	Free	N/A

Winter

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	Moving From	Type of Transfer	Contract Ends	Transfer fee	Notes	Source
2	MF	Airton	19	Flamengo	Transfer	2015	€2.6M	N/A
31	FW	Alan Kardec	20	Vasco da Gama	Transfer	2015	€2.5M	N/A
32	FW	Éder Luís	24	Atlético Mineiro	Transfer	2015	€2M	For 50% economic right's

Spend : €32.4M

Out

Summer

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type of transfer	Transfer fee	Source
#	MF	Kostas Katsouranis	31	Panathinaikos	Transfer	€3.5M
#	DF	Edcarlos	23	Cruz Azul	Transfer	€1.3M
#	DF	László Sepsi	23	Politehnica Timișoara	Transfer	€1.3M
#	MF	Romeu Ribeiro	20	Marítimo	Transfer	Free
#	MF	Andrés Díaz	26	-	Contract terminated	Free
2	DF	Patric	20	Cruzeiro	Loan	€0.15M
26	MF	Hassan Yebda	25	Portsmouth	Loan	€0.48M
#	MF	Gilles Binya	24	Neuchâtel Xamax	Loan	Free
#	DF	Rafik Halliche	22	Nacional	Loan	Free
#	FW	Freddy Adu	20	Belenenses	Loan	Free
#	FW	Yu Dabao	21	Mafra	Loan	Free
#	DF	Marco Zoro	25	Vitória Setúbal	Loan	Free
#	FW	Ishmael Yartey	19	Beira-Mar	Loan	Free
#	DF	Leandro da Silva	20	Guimarães	Loan	Free
#	FW	Marcel	27	Santos FC	Loan	Free
#	MF	Fellipe Bastos	19	Belenenses	Loan	Free
#	DF	Ruben Lima	19	Vitória Setúbal	Loan	Free
#	FW	André Carvalhas	19	Fátima	Loan	Free
#	FW	Ivan Santos	20	Carregado	Loan	Free
#	MF	Miguel Rosa	20	Carregado	Loan	Free
#	FW	Ariza Makukula	28	Kayserispor	Loan	Free
#	DF	Abel Pereira	19	Mafra	Loan	Free
#	FW	Hélio Vaz	18	Mafra	Loan	Free
#	FW	André Soares	19	Carregado	Loan	Free
#	FW	José Coelho	19	Paços de Ferreira	Loan	Free
#	MF	David Simão	19	Fátima	Loan	Free
#	DF	João Pereira	19	Fátima	Loan	Free
#	FW	José Antonio Reyes	24	Atlético Madrid	Loan return	-
#	FW	David Suazo	28	Internazionale	Loan return	-

Winter

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type of transfer	Transfer fee	Source
#	FW	Yu Dabao	21	Tianjin Teda	Transfer	Free
#	GK	Moretto	31	Brasiliense	Contract terminated	Free
11	FW	Keirrison	20	Barcelona	Loan return	Free
#	MF	Fellipe Bastos	19	Servette	Loan	Free
2	DF	Patric	20	Avaí	Loan	€0.1M
3	DF	José Shaffer	24	Banfield	Loan	Free
#	FW	Urreta	19	Peñarol	Loan	Free
#	FW	Freddy Adu	20	Aris	Loan	Free
#	FW	Javier Balboa	24	Cartagena	Loan	Free
#	FW	Nélson Oliveira	18	Rio Ave	Loan	Free
#	DF	Abel Pereira	20	Tondela	Loan	Free
#	FW	Ivan Santos	21	Atlético CP	Loan	Free
#	FW	Hélio Vaz	19	Tondela	Loan	Free
#	FW	André Soares	19	Atlético CP	Loan	Free

Transfer income: €6.83M

Overall transfer activity

Spending Summer: €25,300,000 Winter: €7,100,000 Total: €32,400,000

Income Summer: €6,730,000 Winter: €100,000 Total: €6,830,000

Expenditure Summer: €18,570,000 Winter: €7,000,000 Total: €25,570,000

References

1. "Painel de Espectadores" [Attendance list per match]. ligaportugal.pt. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
2. "Painel de Espectadores" [Attendance list per club]. ligaportugal.pt. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
3. Paulo, Isabel (19 May 2010). "Benfica é o 10.º clube europeu com maiores assistências" [Benfica is the tenth European club with the highest attendances]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 August 2012.
4. "2009–10 Portuguese Liga - Matchday 4". football-lineups.com. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
5. "Benfica in Europa League 2009-10". football-lineups.com. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
6. "Benfica – the most attractive side in Europe?". zonalmarking.ne. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
7. "Jorge Jesus assina por dois anos". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
8. "Javi García reforça Benfica". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
9. "Benfica contrata Saviola por 5 milhões". Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
10. "Benfica confirma contratação de Ramires". Público. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
11. "César Peixoto já é do Benfica". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
12. "Katsouranis no Panathinaikos". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
13. "Benfica goleia Vitória de Setúbal". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
14. "Benfica 4-0 Vorskla". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
15. "Vorskla 2-1 Benfica". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
16. "Benfica 5-0 Everton". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
17. "Braga para o Benfica". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
18. "Everton 0-2 Benfica". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
19. "Benfica eliminado pelo Vitória de Guimarães". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
20. "Sporting e Benfica anulam-se no Dérbi Lisboeta". Expresso. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
21. "Benfica 1-0 Porto". Expresso. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
22. "Sporting 1-4 Benfica". Expresso. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
23. "Benfica 4-0 Hertha". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
24. "Benfica esperou até ao último instante para derrubar o Marselha". Público. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
25. "Benfica 3-0 Porto". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
26. "Benfica 1-0 Braga". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
27. "Sonho termina em Liverpool". UEFA. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
28. "Benfica não faz a festa no Dragão". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
29. "Benfica campeão cinco anos depois". RTP. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
30. "Ворскла" - "Бенфика" 2:1 (Russian)
31. Almanaque do Benfica. Lua de Papel. p. 659. ISBN 978-989-23-2087-8.
32. "2009–10 season".

Filmography

• Benfica - Campeões Nacionais 09/10 [Benfica - 2009–10 National Champions] (DVD) (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: Valentim de Carvalho Multimédia. 9 June 2010.